Is this seat taken?
by balletismyobsession
Summary: One shot to go with my story, To Build a Home. Not necesarry to have read it, but I suggest you do if you want to.   The day that Blaine met Wes and David, and his first weeks at Dalton.


**As promised (a long, long time ago haha), this is the meeting of Blaine and Wes. I didn't plan it to be this long, but my imagination ran away with it and I really like this. =] **

**And I know that the song is slightly new and wasn't around when Blaine would have auditioned, but I really thought that it fit so I used it anyway. **

* * *

><p>"Is this seat taken?" A small voice asked.<p>

Wesley Montgomery turned his head to see an unfamiliar face next to him. Technically, almost everyone's face in this school was unfamiliar, but Wes knew most of them from middle school. Take David Thompson for example. They'd been friends for as long as they could remember. They'd grown up together and had essentially lived at each other's houses in elementary school. It had been hard when David moved across town to be closer to his grandparents, but both boys had been thrilled when they were accepted to Dalton. Wes really was glad to have David because even though Wes's brother, Michael, had graduated from Dalton the previous year, there was only so much he could learn through him. Michael had encouraged him to audition for the Warblers. Wes was still thinking about it. He loved to sing and he knew that David did too, but he wasn't sure if he was good enough. Freshman rarely were accepted into the notorious Warblers and that made him slightly nervous. But when David encouraged him, he'd agreed to try out. The two had signed up for most of the same classes and had decided that they were going to explore Dalton and everything it had to offer, together.

Wes looked over at the nervous looking kid next to him. One hand was clenched tightly on the strap of the leather bag he wore over his shoulder and his hazel eyes kept darting around.

"Yeah, go ahead." The Asian boy smiled at him because honestly, the kid looked like he was going to throw up.

The curly-haired boy looked relieved as he sunk into the chair, gingerly uncurling his hand to let his bag slide onto the floor. His eyes were wide as he took in the surroundings. Wes had been here often enough with Michael for family weekend events and whenever his brother was in one of the school plays, so the atmosphere here wasn't a surprise. He'd even met some of the Warblers before, as a few of them were in the theater department as well, so he knew what to expect. Especially with the Warblers, who were very close knit and slightly rambunctious. But clearly, this kid had no idea about any of that.

The door slammed as someone closed it a bit too hard and Wes noticed his new neighbor flinch and whip his head around, casting worried glances around him.

"You okay?" Wes asked, a bit concerned. Maybe this new kid had a nervous twitch or something?

"Yeah," he said slowly as he turned back around, "Yeah, f-fine."

And Wes held out his hand, as he realized that he didn't know who he was talking to. "I'm Wesley Montgomery. But call me Wes. Everyone else does."

"O-okay." A small, unsure smile spread across his face as he shook Wes's hand. "I'm Blaine."

"How're you liking Dalton so far? I know it can be kind of intimidating-"

Wes was interrupted as a paper airplane shot by his face and lodged itself into Blaine's curly hair. Before either boy could even blink, a dark-skinned someone plopped down in the seat in front of Wes and plucked the airplane out of a stunned Blaine's curls.

"David! Have some common sense! You can't just chuck airplanes into people's hair!"

But Wes smiled as he said it, and David grinned too. He turned to Blaine. "Sorry about that. I was aiming for Wes."

"It's okay," Blaine said softly as he self-consciously reached up and touched his hair.

"You look fine, man. Don't let this idiot get inside your head." Wes playfully jabbed his friend in the shoulder, who feigned injury comparable to death as Wes and Blaine burst out laughing.

When the three could catch their breath, Wes introduced David to Blaine.

"You trying out for the Warblers?" David asked.

"What's that?"

David and Wes shared a look. "It's the school's show choir. They're really good. Or so I've heard. Apparently freshman making it is really rare, but why not try?"

A look of interest and something else, perhaps longing, appeared in Blaine's eyes, but only for a moment. And then the doubt shone through. "I… I don't know."

"You should." David grinned. "We are. Apparently, they're giving a performance today in the quad. Want to come with us?"

Blaine's entire body relaxed and a smile appeared on his face. "That sounds great."

* * *

><p>Blaine could hardly believe he'd met friends in his first day at Dalton. He'd been overjoyed when his parents had agreed to let him come here after he'd been accepted, but imagining what it would be like and actually being here were two very different things. Blaine was on constant edge, even though he told himself that he had nothing to be afraid of here. So far, the worst thing that had happened was that he'd gotten lost going to biology, but he'd eventually found his way. But whenever a high-pitched laugh sounded or a door slammed or someone dropped a book, Blaine found himself receding. He'd flinch, curl in on himself as he tried to be invisible, or flat out have to fight the urge to run. His legs were accustomed to the feeling, the one when he had to take off like a shot to avoid being seen. The muscles in his calves twitched involuntarily when he heard the laughter. He had to force himself to slowly look around, calm his breathing, and realize again that Harvey was not here.<p>

Harvey Miron. Blaine had spent the last year at elementary school and all of middle school running from Harvey. Running from his taunts, his jabs, and worse, his physical violence. It wasn't always that way. They'd see each other in the halls at random times throughout the years and nothing ever happened. It was as if he didn't even know that Blaine existed. And Blaine had no desire to get to know the tall boy with short brown hair.

Blaine had always known that he was different, that he wasn't like other boys he knew. When he was younger, he didn't really care about typical 'guy' things, like baseball or running around and getting mud all over his clothes. When he was a little older, he'd find himself gazing at the male lead in a movie instead of the 'hot' main actress. He'd read books over and over, like Romeo and Juliet, because he thought Romeo was the most romantic person ever. And he wanted that. He wanted to be romanced, but not just by anyone, or even a girl for that matter. It was in his freshman year of middle school that he realized why he was different.

Blaine realized that he liked boys. That he _really _liked boys. And when he found out that what he was had a name, that being gay, was something that other people were too, he didn't feel isolated. He'd kept it a secret for a year. Harvey had been in at least one of his classes since elementary school and neither boy really cared for the other, but it wasn't until the end of freshman year that Harvey started to notice that Blaine was different too.

"Hey Anderson," Harvey sneered at him one day, "might want to take a picture of Wells. Might last longer."

Blaine jerked his gaze away and stared at Harvey with fear coursing through his veins. Did he know? He'd only been looking at his hair because it looked so soft and nice. "Shut up Miron," he'd glared.

Harvey just smiled and walked away. And things were never the same.

It started out small, with whispered comments that only Blaine could hear. And the beginning of sophomore year, it got a little worse when Blaine was assigned the locker next to Harvey. Notes began appearing in his locker, slipped through the vents. He'd get maybe one a week, with just little things written on them, little taunts like 'Jake + Blaine 4ever.'

Blaine thought that he was just being stupid, that Harvey just didn't understand. And Blaine was tired of trying to hide who he knew he was. He was tired of making up excuses why he didn't want to go to the school dances and tired of pretending he was sick whenever one of his friends tried to get him to ask out a girl. So he came out.

He'd told Matt, who had been his best friend for years. And Matt had completely flipped out. He told all of Blaine's other friends, made him look like a freak. And suddenly, Blaine was alone. And the whole school knew that he was gay.

Things with Harvey accelerated after that. He rocketed to the top of the popular pyramid by teasing the gay kid because no one wanted to be the odd one out who would be friends with the freak. Harvey began calling out his slurs louder, so the hallway heard, and the laughter echoed in his ears long after it stopped. He'd shove him a bit as he 'brushed past' or he'd 'accidently' push Blaine's book off his desk. And Blaine put up with it because there wasn't anything else he thought he could do.

Notes began appearing in his locker again, but these were notes of a different kind. It was from someone who was shy, someone nervous, someone just like Blaine. They told about how 'Charlie' was gay too, but he didn't want anyone to know because he didn't want to get harassed like Blaine was. The kid poured his heart out in these letters and Blaine was so relieved to have one person who understood. Charlie talked about how he felt alone and how he wanted so badly to be as brave as Blaine was and that he was eager to meet him so that they could talk. And Blaine was so desperate for a friend then, that he'd foolishly went to the parking lot in the back of the school as stated on the note.

He was alone, waiting, and then Harvey had appeared along with some of his friends. Blaine had been rooted to the ground with fear, his legs aching to run, but his mind unable to make him move. And they'd beat the living crap out of him.

After that, with cuts and bruises and aching all over, Blaine had drawn himself away. He went to school for the next few weeks, moving gingerly to avoid the tears that came with pain, and avoided everyone. And even after his injuries healed, he did not talk. Not a single word unless he was called on in class. He went through the motions of his school day as quickly as he could, practically running from one class to the next. He carried all of the books he needed for the day in his arms so he wouldn't have to stop by his locker. In the classrooms, he was safe.

Things with Harvey never escalated more than that one beating, but that was all it had taken. Blaine was terrified of school, of loud noises that reminded him of the tall boy's heavy footsteps on the asphalt of the parking lot, of high-pitched laughter that had come from the bully's mouth as he was pounding his fist down again and again. Blaine would flinch, freeze, or run. It was all he could do.

For the next two years, Blaine had learned how to avoid people, how to make himself seem like he didn't want to be bothered. And the habit stuck with him, even after the bullying trickled down to almost nothing. He did not once act on his feelings for other boys, did not so much as look at one of them for too long. And that was easy when you didn't have friends. But when Blaine had been accepted to Dalton, he'd told himself that he was going to change things. He wasn't going to be scared anymore, but he wasn't going to tell anyone he was gay. No, he was going to leave that out and hope that he could find a place here where he felt comfortable, to not feel alone anymore.

Wes and David seemed like angels. They laughed with Blaine, talked to him, treated him like he'd been wanted to be treated for so long. On the first day here, Blaine had friends.

As he walked alongside the other two boys, Blaine lifted his head a bit higher. There was a no-bullying policy and Dalton strictly enforced it. He was okay here. They turned a corner and then stopped at the crowd that had formed on the grass quad on the center of campus. Stone steps lead up to the grandest auditorium Blaine had ever seen.

"They should be starting soon," Wes said as he glanced at the time. "Noon sharp, that's what Michael said. Apparently they do a 'welcome week' type thing where they perform on the first day of school, get everyone excited for the new year."

The chatter around them suddenly died as the large clock mounted above the auditorium doors struck noon. The doors opened and crisply dressed students filed out in a single line. People began to clap, cheer even. These people must be popular, Blaine thought wistfully. They staggered out until they were in three rows with five in the first two rows, four in the third.

There was no music, but suddenly the boys opened their mouths and began to sing. They don't need music, Blaine thought, they _are _the music. Blaine had never heard a show choir before. He'd sung many times, sure, in the shower or in his room or under his breath when he was sitting by himself at lunch in middle school. And someone was walking down the side, taking up the chorus and his voice was entrancing. He moved along until he reached the center of the front row and the rest of the Warblers stopped their rolling harmony and their voices soared as they sang together.

All too soon, it was over and the claps and cheers and whistles drowned out Blaine's thoughts. David brought him out of his trance. "We are so trying out."

Blaine turned to him and grinned. The Warblers here were popular, they were extremely talented, and they were everything that Blaine wanted to be. Oh, he was trying out. There was no doubt about that. Blaine was going to be a Warbler, no matter what it took.

* * *

><p>The audition itself wasn't too bad. All Blaine had to do was muster up his courage to go stand alone in front of the Warblers directors and the year's three upperclassmen as council and sing. He was shaking because he was so nervous and he hadn't been able to eat anything all day. Wes and David seemed slightly more in control of themselves, but one would notice that the two had been oddly quiet. Blaine really didn't know what he wanted to sing and he'd spent all of the night before scrolling through the hundreds of songs on his iPod, trying to figure out what song would suit his voice. He'd hummed along for a few seconds or sang a few lines before moving onto the next song. And then he'd found it. The song that not only showed off his voice, but the one that was also pretty much the theme of his life right now.<p>

He'd needed to talk himself into actually opening the door when his name was called and clench his hands to control the shaking. He'd never been more nervous in his life and when he'd stepped up in front of the five people sitting at the table, he actually thought that he might throw up. But he'd received a warm smile from the boy on the far right and then he noticed that the other two council members were smiling too, so he began to relax.

He took a calming breath and then began to sing. He knew it was going to be a difficult audition because they wanted only a cappella songs. Something about not needing music to cover up what talent you lacked. Or something like that. But Blaine put that out of his mind and let the music flow through his entire body. He blocked out the council and everyone watching him, let his mind go blank, and just sang. And no matter what happened, he'd proven to himself that he was more than just some scared kid who ran and had to hide. He'd proven to himself that he was more than that.

_When you try your best but you don't succeed_

_When you get what you want but not what you need_

_When you feel so tired but you can't sleep_

_Stuck in reverse_

_And the tears come streaming down your face_

_When you lose something you can't replace_

_When you love someone but it goes to waste_

_Could it be worse?_

This song had exemplified almost everything that he was feeling. He'd tried to be himself, but he hadn't been wanted. His friends left him, his bullies tormented him, and he was so scared, even now, for someone, anyone, to find out that he was gay. He'd had nightmares believing that he'd come here and nothing would change. That he'd still be hated for something he couldn't control. That he'd be judged before anyone even got to know him. He'd cried so many days and nights that he'd lost count. And he'd felt like he was losing himself, that he'd had to hide who he was for people to leave him alone.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Blaine was hoping, begging, for somewhere to belong. So far, Dalton had succeeded and he knew that being in the Warblers would change his life for the better, he could just feel it. But no one knew that he was gay and that was going to be the most difficult thing of all to overcome. He wanted so badly for someone to accept him for everything he was and is.

_But if you never try you'll never know_

_Just what you're worth_

_Lights will guide you home _

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Blaine himself didn't need fixing. He knew that. But what he did need to fix was how he saw himself. He'd spent so long hiding that he didn't really know who he was anymore. He'd spent so many nights angry, hating himself for this thing he couldn't change, when he should have been able to just accept and love himself with no doubt at all.

_Tears stream down your face_

_When you lose something you cannot replace_

_Tears stream down your face _

_And lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

When Blaine opened his eyes, he was not surprised to find that there were in fact, tears streaming down his face. He hurriedly wiped them away, embarrassed. The five people in front of him were silent. His heart was pounding in his chest. What if they didn't like him? What if he never fit in anywhere? If David and Wes made it, would they leave him too, cast off like worthless person he'd been so accustomed to believing he was?

"Thank you, Mr. Anderson. We'll post the results this afternoon."

That was all that was said. As Blaine headed back out of the room, he felt the tears creep up again and he rubbed his hands hard against his eyes, forcing himself not to let this weakness show. With his hands burying in his eyes, he didn't see the person in front of him and almost walked right into Wes.

He dropped his hands immediately and stiffened slightly at the touch of Wes's hand on his shoulder. But then he relaxed. Wes was his friend, or at least, he hoped he was.

"Hey, how'd it go?" The Asian boy asked, leading Blaine over to a bench, where a slightly pale David sat.

"Umm, it… it was okay." Blaine mumbled.

"That was the scariest shit I've ever had to live through," David groaned. "I thought I was going to pass out."

"Almost did." Wes laughed but stopped when David turned an evil glare on him. "Sorry. I was freaking out too. I think I went pee like five times before they called my name."

"So now we just have to wait?" Blaine asked meekly.

"Yep." David replied, and every boy knew that the weekend's homework was going to have to wait because no one would be able to focus.

* * *

><p>"Is it up yet?" Wes asked again as he walked in front of David and Blaine for what must have been the eighth time.<p>

David laughed dryly. "Oh my god Wes, shut up."

A crowd had appeared around them as the other boys who tried out were drawn here by the ticking of the clock. Some seemed smug and confident, others seemed just as scared as Blaine felt, but he tried to keep his emotions hidden. He'd gotten good at doing that.

Every head flicked up as the doors to the choir room opened. The three council members stood together, holding a white sheet of paper that immediately captured the attention of every eye.

The boy in the middle smiled at them all. "Thank you to everyone who auditioned. As much as we would love to accept all of you, we were only able to take ten new members this year. As always, if you are an upperclassmen, you may audition for a solo. Those auditions will take place next week, same time, same place as today's. Underclassmen may audition for a solo as well, but you need to come talk to us before doing so. Again, thank you all for coming out today."

Blaine's heart was pounding so fast, he had trouble hearing what was said over the roaring in his ears. The sheet was taped up on the wall and it was all Blaine could do to not run up and glue his eyes to the paper. He could see the urge in the other boys as well. Everyone wanted to run, but Dalton students were more dignified than that. So they walked. They formed a line. One by one, they scanned the list and then left. Not a sound from anyone. Blaine was getting closer and closer to the sheet. He kept his eyes firmly focused on the back of Wes's blazer in front of him.

And then Blaine was at the front. He closed his eyes briefly and then looked up. Anderson. His name should be towards the top.

_Blaze._

_Barnett. _

_Chaulk._

_Derrick._

He scanned it again. He hadn't made it.

Blaine almost turned and walked away. But something made him scan the list again. He couldn't give up that easily. And he saw that after _Derrick_, came _Anthony._ The names were alphabetical by grade. His eyes darted to the bottom.

_Anderson. _

_Montgomery._

_Thomas._

No way. Blaine felt his heart stop as he filed out of line and towards the door leading to the quad. He'd made it. They'd all made it. How many other freshman had tried out? By the amount of people there, he'd guess a lot. And he'd made it. He'd made it!

He met up with Wes and David, who leaned up against the side of the building, waiting for him. Their faces broke out in huge smiles.

"We're Warblers!"

"I saw your name, but I couldn't tell you. I wanted to scream!"

Blaine laughed so hard, mostly in relief, but also in happiness. He was so happy. He didn't think he could ever be this happy, but as he hugged his friends, he knew that things were going to change.

* * *

><p>A week later, the three boys were on their way to rehearsal. Blaine had had the happiest week he could remember. The day after the audition, all of the new Warblers had been invited to meet the current Warblers and try out a few melodies to get a feel of where they should be placed. Blaine felt really good about this, about everything. The Warblers were so nice and friendly and he felt that he could be himself. One of the council members had even told him that he was very promising and could audition for a solo if he liked. It was almost perfect. Almost.<p>

As they walked along the concrete path leading to the rehearsal room, a sudden need pulsed through Blaine's veins.

"Hey guys?" He stopped walking.

"Yeah?" They said in unison and stopped to.

"I need to tell you something."

Blaine didn't know what tone his voice held, but it was enough to make the other two turn and surround him with slightly worried gazes.

"What's up man?"

"What's going on?"

Blaine took a deep breath. This was it. If he was laughed at or taunted, he knew he could never come back here. He knew he could never fit in anywhere. But they'd been so honest with him and Blaine felt that he owed them the truth, even if it cost him everything.

"I've kept this hidden for a while. You know that I transferred here because I wasn't happy at my old school. But what you don't know is that I came here, instead of the public high school, because I was having to run from this bully who harassed me for years."

David and Wes's faces immediately showed deep concern. David put his hand on Blaine's shoulder.

"You can tell us. We're here for you."

The relief was momentary, replaced with the normal tightening of fear in his chest. But Blaine had to do this. He had to.

"I'm gay." His voice was less than a whisper, but both boys were close enough to hear.

No one spoke for a full ten seconds. Blaine did not meet their eyes.

He felt David's hand tighten on his shoulder. And then Wes spoke. "That's it? Man, I thought you were going to… I don't know… say you robbed a bank or your parents are in the mafia or something."

"You were worried to tell us that you're gay? Was it really that bad at your old school?"

"It was awful." Blaine said, raising his gaze a bit.

"Did you think we were going to look at you differently or something?"

Blaine's silence was enough of an answer.

"You don't have anything to worry about here. You're our friend because we like you and it doesn't matter if you like guys. So what?"

Blaine felt like he could burst with happiness. Now, it was perfect. Now, he truly felt at home. Wes clapped him on the back and said, "Let's get to rehearsal. Don't want to be late on our first day." Then he leaned in towards Blaine. "And if anyone messes with you, anyone at all, I'll beat the living crap out of them." He said this with a smile, but Blaine could see the seriousness in his eyes.

"Yeah, no one messes with Anderson," David chirped and together, they strode to the rehearsal room doors, with Blaine feeling closer to his friends than ever before.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to our newest Warblers to our first rehearsal. I'm Cody, this," he motioned to the Warbler on his left, "is Mark and this," he no motioned to his right, "is Eric. We are your senior council members for the year. We have a lot of talent in this room and I believe that this year is going to be one of the best in Warblers history. Now, those of you familiar with these rehearsals, you know that we usually start off with breathing exercises and scales. I'm going to break you off into groups, with the most experienced Warblers with our new members, and then we'll start going over possible song choices for Sectionals. Alright, seniors, go find freshman." Cody smiled and Blaine didn't even have to move before he, Wes, and David and another freshman, Thad, were surrounded by a group of four seniors.<p>

They broke off and showed them the exercises and the scales, things that Blaine had never done before but it was easy enough to pick up. After twenty minutes of this, Cody called the group to order again. "So we've got the warm up covered. Mark, Eric, if you could just pass out that sheet music there…" Sheets were passed around and Blaine could hardly believe what he was looking at. Cody continued, "This is one of the top contenders for our opening number at Sectionals. One of our newest members might recognize it." Cody smiled in Blaine's direction, who shrank a little as all fourteen pairs of eyes flicked to him. "Something I'd really like us to work on this year is emotion. Catchy songs can get us remembered for the moment, but in order to be remembered an hour or even a day after we perform, we need to amp up the emotion." He paused again and looked at Blaine. "Would you like to give us a demonstration, Blaine?"

He barely felt himself nodding. What else could he do? He was going to need to get over the freak-out mode he felt when he sang in front of people; why not now?

He stood up and with Cody's cue, began to sing. He sang with everything he had, just as he'd done at the audition.

When he finished, Cody's approving nod, the burst of applause from the Warblers around him, and the surprised, but thrilled looks on his friend's faces made Blaine smile too.

He'd never felt more at home than right now, right here.

* * *

><p><strong>Song: Fix You by Coldplay<strong>


End file.
